A new year and a fresh start to a newly created beauty regimen are everything that we're looking for at this point. Starting in skincare can sometimes seem daunting owing to your skin type, what works and what doesn't, whether you find the perfect products, whether it's affordable, or something as essential as whether you'd be able to follow through the entire regimen.
Well, everyone deserves a little pampering- even your skin. Usually, people scroll through YouTube, looking through the skincare products and regimens that people post, which may or may not work for them. Not only this, users tend to switch products just based on the reviews, causing breakouts and other potential damage to the skin.
This is just the beginning of a list of mistakes that amateur or even well-seasoned skincare users go through. Before understanding skincare's benefits, rushing to start a regimen may prove highly harmful to their skin.
10 Common Skincare Misconceptions To Know About In 2023
Keep in mind all the fantastic benefits that skincare holds, like the long-term benefits of softer, well-nourished skin without signs of early pigmentation, wrinkles, and blemishes.
The benefits are limitless, but to enjoy most of these, you've to ensure you're thorough with the process and don't make the mistakes most new skincare users make. To make sure you start your skincare journey on the right note, let's look at the usual errors that skincare users make or, as we call them, common skincare misconceptions.
Overwashing Helps Clean Skin
Starting with the first step of skincare, washing your face. Sometimes under the illusion of getting all the pollution and dirt out of our faces, we tend to overwash it. Contrary to what it may seem, it's effectively sufficient to wash your face as much as two times.
Rather than cleaning your pores, overwashing faces may cause stripping the skin of its natural oils, making it dry on the top. After your skin is dry, your glands produce more oil and sebum, causing blemishes and breakouts. Opting for a gentle cleanser with moisturizing agents is wise because it'll clean the skin without the risk of drying it out.
Skincare Products Don't Expire
Just like medicinal drugs and antiseptic ointments, your skincare products have an expiration date too. And they exist for a good reason. Your skincare products need to be restocked or replaced within that period. The elements of these products lose their potential over time. Not only would they be less effective, but the bottles and applicators might have picked up bacteria during use.
If used post-expiration dates, the product may not show visible results. It may also cause breakouts and other reactions on your skin. To avoid this damage, keep an eye on the expiry dates of your products and make sure to go through product reports & customer insights before making a purchase.
Constantly Rubbing Your Skin
Among the recurring recommendations in skincare is massaging your face to tone the skin and help the serum seep in. However, it only helps if you use clean face massagers or Gua Sha stones. Despite what it may look like if you have an oily skin texture with the probability of acne being high, the most common mistake that you could make is touching your skin often.
Your hands are usually not clean, and the regular touching of skin transfers dirt and bacteria. This clogs your pores and may result in breakouts and even blackheads. The skin may feel regularly irritated if this is a habit you have. To avoid this, always touch your skin when you've washed your hands. This will ensure that no extra dirt and bacteria are affecting your skin.
Using Sunblock Only During The Day
If you are amongst the ones who don't feel the need to apply sunblock or SPF if they are going to be in their houses, this is the topmost skincare mistake you're committing. Sunblock and SPF-based ointments are necessary, a non-negotiable in your skincare regimen.
Sun rays cause significant damage to your skin; not only do they idry your skin out, but they also cause excessive release of oils and sebum. This will result in breakouts causing your skincare regimen to seem useless practically. Also, reapply the sunscreen every couple of hours to reap every benefit of the SPF.
Sleeping With Makeup Won't Make A Difference
One of the most common misconceptions is that everyone often feels sleeping with makeup for one night won't make a difference. The idea of washing off the makeup and getting into your skincare seems supremely cumbersome once you're done with a long day. But this is one of the most crucial steps to boost your skincare regimen. Sleeping in makeup is why your skin breaks out; not using too much makeup.
The reason for this to happen is makeup clogs your pores, causing the breathability of your skin to be affected. This may cause irritation and extremely harmful acne with pus. To avoid this, always take a good couple of minutes to take off all your makeup before you get your beauty sleep.
A little skincare tip would be to invest in good quality makeup removers and wipes or micellar water. Do this as the first step of your makeup-cleaning regimen before you indulge in washing your face.
Having The Same Skincare Routine For Day & Night
People usually find having a single skincare routine cumbersome, let alone two different regimens for day and night. However, just like you need a warm cup of coffee at night and a chilled lemonade at noon, your skin has different requirements for different times of the day. Your morning skincare regimen should consist of elements that will add to your glow, protect you from harsh elements, and nourish your skin, like a Vitamin C serum or SPF.
Your night skincare regimen may involve cleansing agents, moisturizers, retinol, and anti-aging creams. Your night regimen is supposed to nourish and repair the skin from all the heat and pollution damage it has gone through in the day. You can also apply topical skin-lightening ointments for your blemishes and pigmentation marks to ensure a flawless glow on your skin.
Picking Or Popping Zits Helps Clear Skin
Usually, people have a compulsive urge to pop zits and scratch their acne to avoid a bump on their skin. However, this has long-term effects. Once you pop a zit, the bacteria from that follicle spreads to other follicles causing more zits to cover your skin. This is because the pus from the previous zit spreads to other pores on the skin, clogging them. This is one of the significant reasons people face constant breakouts on their skin, hampering their dream of flawless skin.
Not only could this damage the skin further, but it also elongates the usual time taken by the skin to heal itself. If you continue popping and scratching, your skincare regimen will assume much longer than expected to show results. This may eventually hamper the determination and consistency of your skincare regimen.
No Specific Storage Is Needed
Makeup and skincare are not just limited to applying products on your face, but it also extends to how carefully you store the products. Some specific products need to be held with extra care to ensure that they last long and do not cause any damage to the product.
Namely, Vitamin C serums and SPFs must be kept from sunlight to ensure that the formulas do not deteriorate. Not only that, all makeup and skincare products need to be stored away from the sun to prevent them from getting too warm. Clean makeup and skincare applicators are also essential to avoid reactions like blemishes or rashes on the skin due to bacteria and fungal buildup.
Not Having A Proper Order To Apply Products
Skincare is a lengthy procedure; you must have immense patience, determination, and unwavering faith. Usually, people tend to believe that there's no reason to apply products with a specific order to them, but this is untrue. Not only does it reduce the effectiveness, but it may also further elongate the process.
There's a rule of thumb in skincare, which denotes that you go from the products with the thinnest consistency to the thickest ones in ascending order. For example, you move from serum and work your way up to a moisturizer since the thicker consistency doesn't let the thinner consistency products seep into the skin. This prevents the skin from getting a complete advantage from each product.
Basic Hygiene Doesn't Matter
Any surface in constant contact with your skin ensures that the bacteria, oil, and other undesirable agents transfer. This may be one of the reasons your skin hasn't seen the best results yet. Whenever you receive calls, if your phone screen is greasy and dirty, those bacteria may affect the skin on your cheek, causing zits and acne. Similarly, dirty pillowcases and bedsheets may also have that effect.
For the best results, sleep on a cotton pillowcase to ensure the highest absorption capacity—clean grease off surfaces like your phone screens or the rim of your spectacles and glasses. Wear clean face masks and wash them regularly. This may help avoid any damage to the skin through external agents.
Final Thoughts
Starting a skincare routine is a task, so keep consistency and determination in place once you've begun. We hope this helped as a stepping stone towards a successful skincare regimen to achieve your desired glowing skin. Remember, patience is the key to skincare. Results don't come overnight, but you'll see the process showing its effect gradually.
Happy Skincare!
